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Waking up in a cold sweat wasn't new to Hajime Hinata. Dreadful memories often enjoyed engulfing his mind while attempting to get some much-needed rest. Sleepless nights have seemed to been following him nonstop lately.
All of a sudden, he was much too aware of his shaky, panicked breaths, and the uncomfortable sweat clinging to his forehead. In truth, Hajime couldn't even remember what the dream had been about. Judging from his current state, it most likely wasn't very pleasant.
With a deep breath, in attempts to steady himself, Hajime sat up in his bed. It must be around four in the morning, he thought. A quick check of his alarm clock was enough to confirm that. Quarter past four. He has approximately had about three hours of sleep, mainly due to thoughts keeping him awake until one in the morning. He'd have to fix this, a bottle of sleeping pills might help. Hajime took a mental note of that as he stood up, stretched his arms and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. There was no point in trying to fall asleep once more, it'd be pointless.
Unsure of what to do with his free time, Hajime traversed to his compact bathroom. He splashed some ice cold water onto his face, wincing slightly at the sudden coolness of it, before looking up at his reflection.
Hajime believes he'll never truly be used to the sight. The stitches hugging his forehead, his red eye. He was now one with Izuru Kamukura. Nothing can change that fact.
Deciding that dwelling upon that matter would be even more pointless, Hajime finally settled on going out for a walk on the beach—it was often what he did when he was unable to sleep. The stars, the soft breeze on his face, the distinct smell of the ocean, they all offered him a sense of tranquility.
Exiting his bathroom, Hajime lazily shrugged on his usual attire before leaving his cottage.
It's not as if anyone else would be up, he hoped. Any sort of social interaction at this hour would probably cause him a migraine.
However, as Hajime was calmly approaching the beach, he had a feeling deep down that someone might be there. Initially he just brushed it off, yet it grew stronger and stronger. Might've it been the work of one of his many talents? He didn't know, and neither did he want to waste any time pondering about it.
Upon arriving at the beach, he noticed a figure in the distance. One belonging to none other than the familiar Nagito Komaeda. The Ultimate Lucky Student.
Hajime wondered why a part of him wished to crack a smile at the sight. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, and especially not Nagito's self-loathing or his confusing, never-ending rambles about hope conquering despair.
Hajime just stood there, watching as Nagito's fluffy hair gently waved around in the wind. He guessed it was probably extremely tangled, yet he still wished to rake his tanned fingers through it.
Nagito was simply staring off into the horizon, the brightening sky complimenting his hair's light shade. His hands were shoved into his beloved coat's pockets. Hajime noticed the glint of Nagito's robotic prosthetic before it'd been covered in rickety green fabric.
He decided he should just leave. As much as Hajime enjoyed seeing how peaceful Nagito looked standing there, he believed it would be better if he didn't disturb him.
However, right before he could leave, Nagito had finally noticed his presence. He had a startled look on his face, Hajime couldn't deny the fact that he was quite surprised himself: he was sure he hadn't made a single noise. Perhaps Nagito was about to leave, too.
"..Hinata-kun?"
"Komaeda."
...
Nagito looked ethereal in the sunlight, Hajime thought. He mentally cursed at himself for letting that cross his mind.
Reluctantly, Nagito was the first to move. Hajime watched with an awkward grin as he walked towards him in order to shorten their distance. There was a small smile on Nagito's face, as per usual. They were face-to-face before Hajime even knew it.
"So, uh." Hajime began, running a hand through his hair. He then remember how lazily his tie must've been thrown on, and his potential eyebags.. and the fact his hair was definitely more unruly than usual. He was hyper-aware of the fact he probably looked like a hot mess. "..Why are you here?"
Smooth.
"Why I'm here? I appreciate your concern, Hinata-kun! Really! I'm flattered! However, I'm not important. Why are you here?" Nagito replied, deciding to turn the question around and pin it onto Hajime. He wondered why that was.
"..I got woken up by a bad dream, so I decided to go on a walk for some fresh air." Hajime muttered with a shrug as he looked off to the side. The awkward smile on his face remaining.
Nagito nodded his head once, his expression changing from a smile to something which seemed more deep in thought.
"Ah. I see." He said, simply.
Neither of them were sure of what to say. The lingering silence between the two boys was deafening to say the least.
"Would you like to watch the sunrise with me?.."
Hajime was the one to break the silence, his gaze landing on Nagito's. He noticed a hint of suprisement in his eyes. It was the first thing that came to mind, and now that he mentioned it, Hajime wouldn't exactly mind Nagito's company.
"Ah, well.. I was just about to return to my cottage, but I could never deny someone such as yourself, Hinata-kun! You are too kind."
"Eh? You make such big deals over the littlest things, Komaeda."
Hajime grabbed Nagito's right hand with his own, dragging him towards the beach's sandy shore. His lips were curled in to small smile. Hajime wasn't sure of what overtook him, but what he was sure of was that he didn't want this moment to end.
Together, they sat down on the sand. The sun had nearly risen by then, but that didn't matter.
Hajime fixed his tie up a little as he listened to Nagito speak besides him.
"Hinata-kun. I am truly grateful for you."
Nagito stated with a small smile on his face, staring off into the horizon once more. Hajime would be lying if he said he didn't feel his cheeks burn up a bit at those words. He stopped fiddling around with his tie to look at Nagito.
"Lately, I have been thinking about how it would've been more convenient for everyone if I hadn't woken up. And the way you never gave up on me. I could never fathom a person who'd ever show me your level of kindness."
Oh.
Hajime felt a pang of guilt for the boy besides him.
"Komaeda.. It wouldn't of had been more 'convenient' if you hadn't woken up, okay? It wouldn't be the same here without you."
Hajime replied, eyebrows furrowing slightly. In truth, He genuinely liked having Nagito around. By his side. Yeah, he could be infuriating at times, but Hajime didn't care all that much.
"Yes. It wouldn't be the same here without me, it would be better."
Nagito muttered, still smiling.
"Where the hell is all of this even coming from? Why are you saying this?"
Hajime asked, his tone clearly indicating his annoyance. Lately, Nagito had dialed down on all the self-deprecating talk, to Hajime, this was coming out of nowhere.
"Ah. Apologies, Hinata-kun. I don't mean to worry you. I've.. just been quite stressed lately."
"Stressed? Stressed about what?"
Hajime thought all had been going well for the ex-despairs. Nagito, however, seemed to be a whole other story.
"Myself, mainly."
Nagito sighed. Hajime blinked twice in his direction, waiting for him to elaborate.
"We have all been living here together on this island for nearly a year, and yet.. you're fine. You're all fine. Which, of course, I'm more than glad! But, lately, I've been afraid of the coming day where my luck might harm one of you.. My worthless talent only brings misfortune to those close to me. You, Hinata-kun, know of this better than anyone else."
Hajime was about to interrupt before Nagito cut him off.
"I have tried many times to distance myself from you all, and I don't believe anyone apart from you seemed to notice. You insist on staying near me... being my friend! I just can't seem to grasp as to why—I wouldn't want someone as puny as myself to harm you, Hinata-kun."
Nagito's eyes were fixed down at the grains of sand beneath him, expression neutral as he spoke.
"..Komaeda."
Hajime called out. He didn't know how he should respond, but he knew he had to say something. Unsure of what to do, he softly cupped Nagito's cheek with his palm in order to make him look at him. Surprisment clouded his expression, but only for a split second. Nagito's eyes quickly. averted from Hajime's. He noticed how cold Nagito's pale face felt against his hand, then watched as Nagito leaned further into his touch. Hajime felt his eyes widen slightly.
"You.. shouldn't worry so much, okay? Honestly, the fact that nothing major has happened to any of us ever since you woke up should be more than enough proof of the fact that nothing of what you're thinking of will happen."
Hajime asserted, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Also, I've said this many times before though you never seem to accept it—I have luck, too. Even if you disagree, I'm sure they're able to cancel eachother out or something. Maybe that's why nothing particularly bad has happened. Not when you've with me, at least. You won't hurt me, Komaeda. Whatever happens, if anything, wouldn't be your fault."
Nagito exhaled through his mouth softly, shutting his eyes. Hajime jumped slightly after feeling a cool, robotic hand atop of his.
"I appreciate your words, Hinata-kun. I guess I feel a bit better, however, I'm not convinced."
Nagito muttered in response to Hajime's words.
"Thank you for wasting your time in attempts to comfort me."
Hajime sighed. He had nothing more to say. If Nagito didn't want to accept his words, there was nothing he could do.
"I'm not wasting my time."
He muttered. "I'm here because I want to be, you know? I'm the one who asked you to stay."
Hajime blinked, suddenly in a daze because Nagito's eyes have finally met his.
A gasp. One fleeting moment.
Hajime feels Nagito's lips on his.
It was soft and quick. Perhaps Hajime was overly oblivious, but this was the last outcome he'd expected.
The kiss.. it felt almost natural. As if they were meant to be.
With Nagito's face only inches away, Hajime took a second to recollect himself and his thoughts. His eyes were wider than ever and he felt his face rapidly heating up. Nagito, on the other hand, looked more astounded than Hajime did.
With a frantic tone, Nagito began apologising profusely.
"..Ah! Hinata-kun! I'm so sorry! You must be repulsed! For someone like me to even think about kissing you.. it's unforgiv—!"
However, Hajime didn't allow Nagito to finish. He pulled him back into another kiss by his shoulders. This time, it lasted a couple seconds longer. Hajime took note of how Nagito's chapped lips felt and tasted, finally allowing himself to melt in the loving gesture. The feeling of Nagito's thin arms softly wrapping around his waist spawned butterflies in his stomach, a pleasant and welcoming warmth spreading throughout his body. He felt grounded, almost.
When they broke apart once more, Hajime looked up into Nagito's eyes. He felt his lips curling upwards into a small smile at the sight. Nagito seemed bewildered at the fact Hajime decided to return the kiss; his eyebrows were raised, hidden behind creamy hair; his eyes were round, Hajime thought about how he could get lost in their dull gray-green hue; his mouth was open ever so slightly, lips wetter than they were before. The world around them seemed to stop for a split second.
They both remained silent. The familiar sounds of gentle waves
were all Hajime could hear. That, and Nagito's soft pants.
"..Ah..aha.. Wow..!"
Nagito hesitantly said, looking off to the side. He seemed extremely flustered, accompanied by a crazed grin on his face.
"That must've been out of pity, right, Hinata-kun? How could you show such strong levels of affection to someone like m-"
"Komaeda, shut up."
"..."
Nagito looked back at Hajime as if he hadn't been expecting him to say that, eyes scanning around. Eventually, Nagito's arms unwrapped themselves from Hajime's waist. The two boys pulled apart and sat besides eachother once more, the only difference being the fact they were closer than before and any previous lingering uncertainty seemed to dissipate into the atmosphere.
With a quiet shuffle, Nagito's head was soon situated atop of Hajime's shoulder. He seemed reluctant at first, and quite tense, but it wasn't long before he relaxed. With a mop of tangled white hair tickling his neck, Hajime would be lying if said he felt comfortable. He, however, couldn't care less about the discomfort.
Hajime Hinata felt happy.
His initial morning walk had been a rather surprising turn of events. Surprising, yes, but pleasant.